Forewarned is Forearmed – Start Preparing for SEO in 2014

2013 has been quite significant year in terms of SEO. The release of Googleâ€™s Penguin, Panda, and Hummingbird algorithmic updates created quite a stir and had SEO experts racking their brains on how to deal with them. Encrypted data removed keyword data from the spotlight. Google also initiated various steps to address spam. Content marketing gained in importance for improving return on investments. As we prepare to ring in the New Year, it is time to rethink SEO strategies to improve visibility in this competitive scenario. Here are some of the tips to help you stay ahead of this game in the coming year.

Rely on your past experience

Unnatural linking practices and keyword-stuffed content to gain higher search ranking were the main issues that came up in 2013. Googleâ€™s algorithmic updates in 2013 addressed these in a way that only websites with best SEO practices got higher ranking in its search engine result pages. These lessons are still relevant and webmasters should look to the future with past experiences in mind. Forewarned is forearmed and you should be ready to face Googleâ€™s algorithmic updates in 2014.

Focus on content development

Content marketing will become even more significant in 2014. With the Hummingbird update, Google now has ability to effectively address conversational queries and match content based on synonyms, which point to the significance of audience-friendly content. Robust, good quality content will continue to be the key to higher search ranking as Google will continue to support only businesses that make robust content marketing attempts. Whether your niche is healthcare or retail marketing, your goal should be to provide your target audience with high quality, informative content. You also need to skillfully optimize your content for SEO to boost your marketing efforts. In addition to text, the videos, images and infographics that you post matter. Link your content to high quality, relevant partners. Remove bad links. Share it on social media platforms. One of the best ways to ensure quality content is to opt for professional SEO content writing services. This requires special skills that only an SEO company with a expert content writing team can provide you with. Updating your content and posting regularly is crucial to stay relevant to search engines. High quality content is also relevant for guest blogging.

Social Media Visibility

Social media activity will continue to matter for search rankings. Businesses that actively engage with customers on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram, and Pinterest experienced more of a positive impact on search rankings in 2013 and will continue to do so in 2014 too. Introduced in 2013, Facebook Graph Search show the most relevant search results for each user based on “Likes” and other connections. Google can easily embed Google Plus in search results. Professional SEO companies offer social media optimization services to help businesses build awareness via these social media sites.

Mobile SEO

Mobile SEO will be an area of great focus in 2014. One survey showed that as of April 2013, more than 50 percent of US Internet users browsed the Web using both a mobile and a desktop device. A recent research report from Ciscoâ€™s Visual Networking Index reveals that the mobile browsing rate will increase by 13 times in the next four years. In fact, in June 2013, Google announced that mobile-friendly sites would be prioritized in ranking and published guidelines for building mobile-friendly websites. When it comes to content, marketers should know that mobile users are interested in reading short, crisp content that hits on the purpose rather than long content with scattered information.

Most businesses recognize that an online presence is imperative to succeed. However, there is a lot of competition out there. Getting a trustworthy professional SEO company to handle your SEO campaign in 2014 is a good idea, After all, the experts know best.